Virtual Work Experience
Virtual Work Experience will support students in gaining work experience in an area that they might not normally have the opportunity to see. This is a unique opportunity and will hopefully give our students an insight into the skills required for certain careers or in different employment sectors.
Below are a number of Virtual Work Experiences available. They cover a huge range of careers and employment sectors:
The British Army
For students considering joining The British Army Hear from serving soldiers about their experiences, including the skills they have learned, their travels, the challenges they have faced and the friendship bonds they have made that last a lifetime.
Please register below to join the live events and find out more:
Tuesday 6 April at 1:00 pm - Army Brief, Adventurous Training, Fitness
Thursday 15 April at 10:00 am - Army Brief, Adventurous Training, Fitness
Tuesday 20 April 1:00 pm - Virtual Work Experience
Springpod Opportunities
Springpod are offering Virtual Work Experience Programmes and Insight Days that are free for students and can be completed at times to suit. Young people will receive a certificate from the employer at the end of the programme or use in CVs, Personal Statements and future interviews. The sessions all feature live interaction, allowing students to ask any burning questions directly to the experts. Tasks will be set during the programme which will be marked upon completion, helping students to gain career knowledge and experience.
Listed below are a number of opportunities, sorted by career, which cover a variety of pathways. These can be accessed via the links. The opportunities run from Tuesday 6 April to Friday 16 April and last for 10 hours, unless stated otherwise. The deadline for applications is Monday 29 March 2021 and these opportunities are open to students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13.
- TV & Film
- Dentistry
- Fashion
- Hospitality
- Graphic Design
- Politics
- Veterinary Medicine
- Broadcast Journalism
- Business Management
- Law
- Print, Broadcast & Photo Journalism
- Teaching
- Finance
- Siemens - Engineering & Technology
- Marketing
- Engineering
For more information about future events, please click on the image below:
Other Virtual Work Experience Opportunities
The links below will help you gain an insight into a wide range of businesses and careers. These opportunities can be completed in your own time to broaden your outlook and skills:
Architecture – Halliday Fraser Munro - Design or Technology programmes using SketchUp and Revit (free downloads available)
Digital Technologies – iDEA - Develop your talents and gain all-important knowledge and information about the digital world with iDEA. You can win career-enhancing badges, unlock new opportunities and, ultimately, gain industry-recognised awards that will help you to stand out from the crowd.
Financial Services - Why not extend your Virtual Work Experience journey by learning about financial services through our online film which outlines how a bank works and the different role available?
Dentistry - New advice on gaining experience to support an application to dental school during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dentistry Virtual Work Experience with Sheffield University Dental School, students can learn about different roles in dental practices, and an introduction into tooth anatomy and disease. Please note, students do not receive a certificate of completion, unless paying an upgrade fee, but students can evidence their work experience through clear and concise reflections on what they have learnt.
Medicine – Brighton & Sussex Medical School - This course provides a virtual work experience for those looking to apply to Medical School. You will be introduced to the NHS before exploring the roles and skill sets of six different medical specialists. Along the way, you will also consider some of the challenges and wider issues that doctors face.
Medicine – Royal College of General Practitioners - 'Observe GP' is an alternative to work experience for aspiring medics, aged 16 and over, who are living in the UK. It is a free interactive video platform providing insights into the role of a GP and the wider Primary Care team.
Medicine - The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has partnered with Medic Mentor, the UK’s largest medical family, to provide free live virtual work experience to any student in the UK wanting to become a doctor, dentist or vet. As a student, you will be able to ask any of the doctors questions about the cases you see. It will be as if you are really there, but from the comfort of your own home and without putting you at risk during the COVID pandemic.
The Medical Schools Council – have released guidance on work experience for aspiring students, and understand work experience and shadowing opportunities are not available at this time. As part of their guidance, they encourage students to keep a reflective diary of what is happening in the news relating to COVID-19, utilising online resources and if possible, completing volunteering and regular reflections on volunteering. Volunteering can cover supporting vulnerable people self-isolating at home.
Veterinary with the University of Nottingham - Get an insight into the reality of life as a vet so that you can make an informed decision about embarking of a career in the veterinary profession. Virtual work experience programme to do in your own time, provided by Future First in collaboration with the University of Nottingham.
The Lawyer Portal - Traditionally, work experience for law students has taken place within an actual law firm or barristers chambers. However, some law firms have paved the way for a new kind of virtual work experience for law students to allow them to see what life at a law firm might be like from the comfort of their own homes.
Law - White and Case - This virtual programme allows students to gain first-hand insight into life as a White & Case lawyer and experience the realities of cross-border law.
OpenLearn - The areas below contain hundreds of free courses and resources. Scroll down for individual examples from a variety of subject areas:
- Languages
- Money and Business
- Education and Development
- Health, Sports and Psychology
- History and the Arts
- Nature and the Environment
- Science, Maths and Technology
- Society, Politics and Law
- Environmental Sciences /Climate Change
- Forensic Science and Fingerprints
- Policing & Communication Primary School Education
- Psychology Research and Ethic
- Social Work
Speakers 4 Schools offer a range of areas for the focussed student. Please be aware of the various closing dates and it is competitive! Students need to register to look at the various opportunities on offer. Below are a selection of what the currently have available:
Virtual Work Experience with the national tourism board – VisitBritain/VisitEngland
Date: 2 – 4 June 2021 (10am – 3pm).
Eligibility: 16 – 19 year interested in learning what opportunities working in tourism could provide.
Application Deadline: 2 May 2021
National Grid - Thinking about a career in energy ?
Dates: 27 - 29 April 2021 (4pm – 5pm)
Eligibility: 16 – 19 year interested in employability opportunities at the National Grid.
Application Deadline: 8 April 2021
WGSN: The world’s #1 fashion trend forecaster
Date: 24 May 2021(4pm – 6pm).
Eligibility: 16 – 19 year olds interested in helping brands to stay relevant and secure their place in the future.
Application Deadline: 26 April 2021
Green Skills National Competition with Anglian Water
Dates: 26 May 2021 (09am till 15:00)
Eligibility: 14 – 19 year olds keen to fight climate change.
Application Deadline: 12 May 2021
M&S Insight Session - Understanding Social Action
Dates: 2 June2021 (10am – 11:30am)
Eligibility: 16 – 19 year interested in learning about social action and routes into M & S.
Application Deadline: 12 May 2021
Green Skills in Consulting & Construction with Jacobs
Dates: 28 April 2021
Eligibility: 15 – 19 year old with an aptitude for STEM subjects.
Application Deadline: 8 April 2021
Hive Projects: Introduction to the Built Environment
Date: 3 June 2021
Eligibility: Year 10 and 11 students keen to learn about design and engineering.
Application Deadline: 30 April 2021
Marketing and Business Development VWEX with RIFU
Dates: 26 May 2021 (10am – 3pm)
Eligibility: Year 10 and 11 students keen to learn more about a career within Product Design, Project Management, and Sustainability Research.
Application Deadline: 5 May 2021
Victrex – How Can Plastics Improve the Environment?
Dates: 2 June 2021
Eligibility: 16 – 19 year olds interested in a career in information technology.
Application Deadline: 30 April 2021
Careers in Construction - Dragados
Dates: 1 June 2021(10am -12pm)
Eligibility: 15 – 19 year old interested in apprenticeships and careers in construction, transport and infrastructure.
Application Deadline: 1 May 2021
Y11 VWEX within Cisco`s Tech/Business Departments
Dates: 5 - 9 July 2021 (9:30am – 4:30pm)
Eligibility: Year 11 students curious about a career in technology.
Application Deadline: 9 May 2021
For a full list of placements - sign in here register, search and apply.
Virtual Work Experience is new to all of us, so we currently have no feedback about what is available. Many of these experiences are open for students from 12 to 18 years of age, with reputable companies such as Barclays, Spotify and Royal College of Practitioners. Below is a link to an excellent article for Parents and Carers about Virtual Work Experience for their children:
- The Parent's Guide to Website - Virtual Work Experience - why it might help your child to stand out